Do You Remember
by wolf's paradise
Summary: For Naruto, some memories lead to happiness and others lead to pain. Tsunade can't cure the strange genjutsu in which Naruto is trapped. But Naruto is having strange memories... Things that he shouldn't remember, and memories that don't even belong to him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey readers!! Here's another story from me, wolf's paradise!! I've had this one finished for about two months now, but I just haven't gotten around to putting it up here! I'm sorry if this story isn't as good as any of my others! This is my first time ever writing a story about ninjas or things like that, and I know it starts out really badly. But please read until the end! There're only six short chapters! (Although this was **_**supposed**_** to be a one-shot. It's more like a six-shot)**

**Anyway, please forgive anything that's out of place. I love Naruto, and it's my favorite anime, and I tried to keep all the characters in character. I hope you all enjoy this story, even if it is one of the worst that I've written. Seriously, where were all my really good moods when words and sentences just flow?? Didn't happen for this one, but I'm too lazy and busy working on the last chapter of my other fanfic to change it.**

**Enjoy!!**

Chapter One

There was hardly a cloud in sight. The air was clean and crisp, and a small breeze fluttered through the leaves. Naruto Uzumaki looked at the sky, thinking about his latest mission. He had gotten a lot stronger these past three years. He knew he had a long way to go, but he hadn't given up. After all, he was going to be Hokage. He shoved his hands into his pockets, quickly glancing over his outfit. He couldn't see any dirt on it, for once.

Naruto looked over at Sakura Haruno, a small smile tugging at the end of his lips. It didn't feel like those three years away from Konoha had happened. It felt so right to be walking next to Sakura as a part of Team Kakashi. He had been part of her team ever since they had graduated from the academy. Despite their different fighting styles, Sakura and Naruto worked best when paired together.

Kakashi, of course, was their leader. He had been their sensei until they had all trained separately three years ago, but now that Naruto and Sakura had grown, they were considered on an equal level to Kakashi. As usual, he was reading Icha Icha Paradise while the group walked back to Konoha. Naruto still didn't understand what was so interesting about those books. His gaze wandered over to Sai, Sasuke's replacement.

The small smile disappeared.

Sasuke.

Naruto involuntarily balled his fists. He would bring Sasuke back. He had failed again recently, just like he had before. He hadn't been able to save Sasuke the first time, and the second time had been no different. But no matter what difference there was in talent between Naruto and Sasuke, he wouldn't fail again. Naruto had promised Sakura that he would; he never went back on his word.

But he just couldn't quite accept Sai. He worked with him so that he could get closer to Sasuke, but Sai simply was not a part of Team Kakashi. To Naruto there would only be four people in that team, and the team wouldn't be complete until the fourth member came back. Naruto heaved a sigh.

"Naruto?" Sakura's head was inclined towards him, her mint green eyes looking more worried than they needed to be. The short strands of her pink hair fluttered in the small breeze.

Naruto managed a laugh. "Don't worry about me, Sakura-chan. I—"

The leaves rustled; a shurikan flew out of the bush. Naruto bent over backwards, his kunai in his hand in a moment. With a flick of his wrist he hurled the shurikan aside, then straightened himself. He grunted as more shurikan were hurled from the bush. He flicked his left wrist, grabbing onto another kunai as he defended himself from the attack.

But there was one more shurikan. Naruto gasped as the last one sliced into his right shoulder, tearing his shirt as blood spattered onto the ground.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. Instantly, Sakura and Sai were standing next to him. Naruto glared in the direction of the bush. "Kneel, Naruto. I've got to heal this quickly," Sakura instructed. Naruto shook his head.

"No way! I'm going to kick his—" But Naruto's sentence stopped there. It was as if he couldn't move. He was completely frozen—his eyes weren't even blinking.

Sakura gasped. "Naruto! Naruto, what's happened to you? Naruto!"

A grunt managed to escape his throat. Though he couldn't move, Naruto was already focusing his chakra. He remembered what Ero-sennin had said about genjutsu, and this seemed to be one of those cases. The trees and everything looked the same, but his teammates weren't there and the path in front of him was swinging gently. Even though stopping his chakra hadn't worked so well that time he had fought against Itachi, Naruto was sure it would work now.

_Stop the flow. Stop the flow._ He gritted his teeth, etching that sentence into his brain, concentrating with all of his force to stop the flow. He could feel it slowing, the mental image the best way of helping him. He imagined suppressing his chakra flow, the chakra points receiving less and less chakra. He was almost there. A little more, and it would be stopped.

He had practiced stopping the flow of chakra with Ero-sennin, but stopping the flow of chakra to his feet was completely and utterly different from stopping the chakra from flowing through his whole body. He had to concentrate on every single point that he knew of, and try to imagine the points that he didn't know. The most important was to stop the flow of chakra to his head. That was where most of his senses were—the ones that were controlled by genjutsu. All of his senses—taste, smell, sight, hearing—with the exception of touch were all near his head. He had to stop the flow.

Even if was only for a moment, he had to stop his chakra. He gritted his teeth together even harder, pouring in more concentration. Never had he concentrated so hard in all his life. He was easily distracted, but he couldn't afford to be now. Finally, for a split second, his chakra ceased. Then, it was rushing back all at once from every different direction.

The abnormal forest disappeared, and Sakura and Sai were now standing right next to him. Naruto grunted to his feet and started for the forest. Sakura reached out and grabbed his arm, protesting. Naruto tried to shake off her hand, but the moment he rotated his shoulder, a searing pain paralyzed his arm. The force of the pain drove him to his knees. He gasped for air, and in a moment Sakura was there beside him, her hand carefully placed on his wound.

Naruto grunted as Sakura's medical ninjutsu took effect, but it was painful nonetheless. Kakashi dropped to the ground in front of the three, a person slung over his shoulder. They were fighting pretty forcefully, bashing their fists and feet against Kakashi, but it was completely futile. Kakashi's grip was firm but not too harsh. Naruto growled, partially because of the pain, and partially because Kakashi hadn't killed the person already.

"Why'd you bring it here, Kakashi!" Naruto yelled. He was thoroughly outraged that this person had tried to attack him for no apparent reason.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi said as calmly as ever. His grip on the person relaxed, and with a gasp they fell to the ground. They hit the dirt with a thud, their complaining completely ceasing for a moment as they realized what Kakashi had just done.

Naruto stood, oblivious to the pain in his arm. He had felt worse pain than this. Sakura gasped but didn't try to stop him this time. Naruto gritted his teeth. "What's the big idea? What did you attack me for? I didn't do anything to you—" Naruto stopped. He groped for something—anything—to say, but nothing seemed to fit.

"Yo—you're a girl!"

The girl glared up at Naruto, her blue eyes flashing like ice. Her mouth was turned down in a frown. Naruto's eyes quickly caroused over her long brown hair and fair skin, and white garment that very closely resembled the style of Neji's. Her hands were curled into fists.

"You got a problem with that?" she shouted. Naruto was still too stunned to speak. Taking his silence as a "no", the girl continued. "You can't keep me here! You have to let me go! If not, I'll—! I'll—!" Her brave façade seemed to fade almost immediately as she thought of what she would do. She bit her lip, looking as if she was not at all pleased about what she was planning to do. Naruto finally found his voice.

"But why did you throw shurikan at me? I didn't do anything to you."

She shrugged, looking away. Naruto caught a glance of a fierce light in her eyes. "I have to get away! If I don't, they'll kill me!" She attempted bravery and stood to her feet. "I… I'll have to use my technique if you don't let me go! I don't want to, but if you force me to… Then I'll have to!"

Naruto took a step back. His hands flashed up, forming the sign for his shadow clones. Two popped up on either side of the girl, latching onto her arms and holding her where she stood. She gritted her teeth, but didn't fight his clones. Naruto smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"We'll let you go. You've just got to answer our questions."

She sighed in defeat.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Mitani Kelmisha."

Naruto grunted in approval. "Mitani, why are you running away? Why did you attack us? Why are you so afraid of those people who are after you? What have you done that's making them follow you?"

Mitani sighed again, rolling her eyes at Naruto's stream of questions. But she answered, her voice meek. "I'm running away from the people in my village because they're afraid of what I can do. They want to kill me so I won't be a problem to their village anymore. I attacked you because I was traveling this way, and I thought that… if I could injure you then I could get away quickly. But I didn't see the other three people for some reason. I only saw you."

A satisfied smile lighted Naruto's face. He dispersed his clones. Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura were all around him now, Sakura now the one to ask questions. Naruto smiled happily. Though Mitani had cooperated with him, it still felt good that he had been the one to get the answers first and not anyone else.

Sakura quickly gave Mitani a once-over, making sure that she had no injuries. There was still something so cool and professional about the way Sakura performed her medical ninjutsu. It never failed to amaze Naruto. His smile faded. He really was still just a genin, and Sakura was a chunin. He still hadn't made it past the lowest rank. He was still short-tempered, still impatient, still obnoxious. All the things that Sakura hated. How was he ever going to get her to like him, and even more important to become Hokage, if he hadn't even made it to chunin yet?

"Naruto?" Sakura was looking at him with concern again.

"What? Oh, it's nothing, Sakura-chan," he smiled. He glanced over at Mitani. She was looking at Sakura with a strange kind of… jealousness. Naruto turned to her. "Mitani, what's the matter?"

Before she could answer, a small rustle could be heard not too far away. Mitani whipped her head around and gasped. Her eyes immediately filled with fear, and her body became rigid. It was clear that she had been telling the truth before, even though Naruto hadn't really doubted her.

"They're coming!" she whispered urgently.

Naruto curled his fists. "We'll help you fight them!"

Mitani gasped and vigorously shook her head. "No, you can't! I can't let you do that!"

"Ha!" Naruto laughed. "I never back away from a fight."

A look of uncertain determination flooded Mitani's eyes. "I can't let you! I'm sorry, the one called Naruto, but I must use this jutsu on you!" Naruto's eyes widened as she placed her hands together, forming a string of seals. Her fingers ended in the customary way to gather chakra, and she focused all her attention on Naruto.

"Ninja art: Ultimate Memory Reliving Jutsu!" A ring of white light burst from Mitani and flooded over Naruto. He gasped, and immediately his eyes widened and he was frozen in place. Mitani backed away to flee.

"How dare you!" Sakura yelled, moving after her. Sakura balled her fist, gathering her chakra in her hand. She was going to pummel Mitani. But Naruto's cry of anguish stopped her in her tracks. Sakura glanced back at Naruto. He was clutching his head, shaking it, grunting and occasionally crying out.

"No. No!" he screamed. Suddenly, his face went completely blank. His eyes were wide and unseeing, his hands falling limply to his sides. His mouth was agape, making him look completely stunned. Sakura stood, watching the sudden change that had taken over Naruto. Just a moment ago he had been able to dispel Mitani's first genjutsu attack. What had happened to him?

Naruto's knees gave way, and he crumpled to the ground.

**Well, if you can, please review!! I love them a lot!! I know this is definitely not one of my best-written stories, so if you want to read some of my better writing, check out my Twilight fanfic and my two Titanic fanfictions as well. You can also read my one for Pitch Black, but that is on hiatus for the moment.**

**So, sometime soon, I'm going to put up the second chapter. Stupid school. Why do I have so much work??!! Seriously, being a senior in high school is NOT all it's cracked up to be.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed. Mitani was forgotten. She rushed over to Naruto, lifting him off of his face. "Naruto!" she whispered. What was happening to him? His eyes were shut tightly, and his breathing was labored and erratic. Sakura quickly unzipped his jacket and placed her hands on his chest. There was nothing wrong with his internal organs or muscles, nor was there anything wrong with the muscles in his arms and legs.

Sakura was the medical ninja of the team and the most important member. She could heal almost any injury, but at the moment she felt useless. There was nothing physically wrong with Naruto, and there was nothing that she could do. Although breathless, he was healthy. But she knew he was in pain, and that grated on Sakura's nerves.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried as Naruto's hands rushed to his head, seeming to try to tear the hair out of his scalp. It seemed that he wasn't conscious of anything around him. It had to be some form of genjutsu. Sakura gasped, an idea hitting her. She placed her hands in front of her, forming a sign. "Release!" she said, touching her hands to Naruto's forehead.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Slowly, Naruto's face relaxed. His body remained somewhat rigid, but he didn't seem to be in as much pain. Sakura bit her lip. The release hadn't worked, and she was sure it would have. Again Sakura checked Naruto's physical condition, but it hadn't changed. There was nothing wrong with him except for the fact that he was breathless. What kind of genjutsu was this?

When most people were trapped in a genjutsu, they were frozen in place until they themselves broke the jutsu, or someone with them inserted their own chakra to disrupt the other's. But this genjutsu was different. There was nothing physical about genjutsu in general, but this particular technique affected the mind in a different way. Most genjutsus affected all six senses. This jutsu had somehow affected something else in the brain, something that caused a person to actually feel and cause himself pain.

"Well, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura sat back in thought. His body was functioning as it should be. She touched Naruto's hand, skimming her fingers over his skin. His body shivered. "He hasn't lost any of his senses. He's still able to feel and smell and taste. I don't think he can see, though." Sakura turned to Kakashi and Sai.

"So his sight was affected, huh?" Kakashi asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know," Sakura shook her head. "His eyes are tightly shut implying that he's in extreme pain, and yet his body is still relaxing. It shows no sign of hurt or pain anywhere. The genjutsu must be causing him pain some other way." _But what?_ Sakura thought.

She gave an exasperated sigh. _I can't do anything for Naruto. Again. I'm so useless. I told him that we'd get strong together, but… am I really getting as strong as I possibly can? Naruto is working so hard… and again it seems like I am so far behind._

Kakashi interrupted Sakura's train of thought. "Well, let's get him to Tsunade. I know you are her pupil, Sakura, but she has been a medical ninja for a while."

Sai bent down near Naruto. Sakura's hand involuntarily tightened, her muscles rigid and ready to protect Naruto. She didn't know why, but she felt her body tense as if she were prepared for Sai to hurt Naruto.

"I'll carry him."

Kakashi shook his hands. "Ah, don't worry about it Sai. I'll—"

"No." The word was whispered, but Sakura's voice held a determination that caused both men to turn to her. Sakura's hand was curled into a fist, shaking as it clutched to a part of Naruto's open jacket. She fought back the tears threatening to spill over. It was just as Naruto had said: she was a crybaby. But it was her own feeling of uselessness that caused her tears.

Sakura's eyes flashed to Kakashi and Sai. "I'll do it. I can't ever do anything for him, anyway." _I can't keep _my_ promises. I can't help him when he fights. I can't help him now, when he really needs me. I can't ever help him…_ "I need to be of some use."

Neither man said a word. Finally, Kakashi nodded. "Let's go."

Sakura nodded in determination and carefully hoisted Naruto onto her back. It would take a great deal of chakra focus and strength to be able to carry him, but she wasn't about to quit. Naruto needed her, and Sakura was determined to be useful. She felt so inadequate, so far behind when she compared herself to Naruto. He had done so much for her, and all she had done for him was punch him and leave him with a string of broken promises. She couldn't bear to fail Naruto again. She wasn't sure what genjutsu had been placed on him, and depending on the type it could be a matter of life or death. Sakura shook her head, immediately thinking about what would happen if Naruto died. _No! He will not die! I won't let him!_

A grunt escaped her lips. It was getting long and tedious carrying Naruto. He was much heavier than she had expected. Sakura refocused her chakra, gathering it in four different points. It was a more advanced concentration level to be able to focus the quantity and quality of strength in four different points. Sakura hadn't quite reached that level yet, but she had to do it for Naruto.

She gathered her strength, sending it to both of her forearms and both of her upper thighs. She felt a renewed strength wash over her, but she knew she should pace herself. They still had a long way to go before reaching Konoha, and Naruto wasn't going to get any lighter.

_Four hours_. The time rolled around in Sakura's head. Her stamina had been spent almost an hour ago, but she had forced herself to keep carrying Naruto. However, her steps were starting to falter. She was lagging behind Kakashi and Sai, and it was getting harder to jump from branch to branch.

Suddenly, Sakura's foot slipped. She gasped, watching the ground rush faster and faster towards her. She quickly grabbed Naruto's arm. He was completely oblivious to the events around him, and his body was completely limp now. He was falling faster than she was; at this rate, he would hit the ground first. There was no telling how much damage he would sustain then.

Two flashes were suddenly underneath her. Sai reached out, catching Sakura while Kakashi made sure to catch Naruto. Sakura leaned against Sai, completely out of breath. Her arms and legs were aching, but she couldn't let that get to her. She stepped out of Sai's arms, swallowing and making her way over to Naruto. He was still all right.

"Why don't I carry him for a while, Sakura?" Kakashi suggested. When Sakura opened her mouth to object, Kakashi continued. "Then you can carry him the rest of the way. You're tired, Sakura. You need to rest or you won't be of use to anyone."

Sakura bit her lip. Of course Kakashi was right. "Yes. Let's go."

In half an hour, Sakura insisted that she take Naruto again. Kakashi reluctantly agreed, and within the hour the tops of the village's wall were visible. Sakura smiled in hope. They would reach Tsunade-sama soon, and Naruto would be able to get help. _See, Naruto?_ Sakura thought. _I wasn't completely useless. I brought you to Konoha on my own strength._

The three descended from the trees, rushing through the wide path that led straight to the Konoha gate. Sakura was just as breathless as when she had fallen, but she forced herself to work harder this time. She would not let Naruto fall again. The two men on guard duty stood in the middle of the gate, prepared in case Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi were enemy ninja. Upon seeing Team Kakashi, the two men smiled.

"Hey, Kakashi! Wait, what's up with Naruto?" one of them asked.

Kakashi stopped, as did Sai and Sakura. "Sakura, take Naruto to the hospital. Sai, go to Tsunade-sama and quickly debrief her on Naruto's situation."

"Yes!" Sakura said.

"Yes," Sai mumbled obediently. Sakura narrowed her eyes, jumping off to the hospital while Sai moved the other way towards Lady Tsunade. Sakura gritted her teeth. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Naruto wasn't getting any lighter, and her legs and arms were screaming for mercy. _Just a little farther. Just a little farther and I'll reach the hospital. _Sakura glanced back at Naruto's face. He was grimacing. _Hold on, Naruto! We'll—we'll get you cured!_

Sakura raced into the hospital. "Please! He needs a medical room right now! Tsunade-sama is coming to take care of him!" The nurse at the front desk nodded, dumbfounded by Sakura's outburst.

"O—of course! Follow me!"

Sakura gritted her teeth and adjusted Naruto's position on her back. There was no doubt that she could hardly hold him anymore. Her strength had been gone for a while, but she just had to endure a little more. Just a little bit further, and Naruto would be safe. Tsunade would be able to cure him. Sakura smiled grimly and followed the nurse to the assigned room.

"Um, set him here," the nurse said nervously. Sakura nodded and placed Naruto on the bed, her shoulders immediately feeling lighter. Sakura smiled, sure that everything would be all right soon. Suddenly, Naruto screamed. His hands were at his head again, this time successfully ripping out a small chunk of his hair. His fingers and nails dug into his scalp as he thrashed, begging for whatever it was to stop.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. "Naruto… stop!"

"Sakura!" The call came from Tsunade. Sakura quickly wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. She nodded at Naruto while she held his arms, trying desperately to keep his arms still. "Release!" Tsunade said, placing her hands on Naruto's head. Slowly, Naruto's face relaxed, and his hands became limp. But that still wasn't enough to wake him from the genjutsu.

"Sai briefed me on Naruto's condition," Tsunade mumbled to Sakura. "I don't see why we shouldn't be able to get Naruto cured in a moment." But Sakura wasn't too sure. She had tried everything that she knew to help Naruto, but nothing had worked.

Again and again, Tsunade tried to release Naruto from the genjutsu. An hour passed—two hours. Sakura and Tsunade were still in the hospital. An hour later, Kakashi and Sai joined the two women. Nothing was working. Tsunade huffed, frustrated that everything she tried wasn't working.

"Well," she said thoughtfully. "There's only one thing left to do." Tsunade quickly took off Naruto's headband, then formed a string of seals. She placed her hands on his head, then closed her eyes in concentration. A small circle of green chakra formed underneath Tsunade's fingers. Suddenly, she smiled.

"Found it."

--

Naruto glanced around him. Where was he? The last thing he had heard was Mitani's voice as she hit him with one of her jutsus, but after that, everything was blank. A strange sight, however, stole his attention. He looked after it, watching the play of pictures that acted exactly like a mirror. He walked towards them, mesmerized.

It only lasted a second.

What was this? He had seen all of this before. He had already stood in front of Orochimaru as the snake had taunted him about Sasuke. He remembered his anger growing until he had felt the power of the fox engulf him. He remembered seeing Kabuto, Sai, Sakura, and Captain Yamato behind him. He remembered…

He didn't remember this.

Kabuto rushed towards him, chakra gathered in his hand. He—Naruto—turned towards Kabuto and roared, a blast of white chakra bursting from his mouth. The bridge was completely blown away, and he was falling. An arm of chakra rose from the abyss, grabbing onto a tree and pulling him up. Orochimaru disappeared, and Naruto rushed after him. There was more anger, and Naruto could feel the loss of control, even as he watched himself through his memories. More chakra was engulfing him… There was pain… Naruto clutched his own arms. He knew this was a memory, but he could still feel and hear everything that was going on.

He could barely see the blood. Everything in front of him was going red, his anger melting into the murderous desire of the Kyuubi. A black ball engulfed him, and there was more horrible pain, worse than before…

Naruto screamed as the pain seared like fire at his skin and muscles. He clutched his arms, bending over as the pain consumed him. He hadn't remembered the pain being this acute, but even as he felt it nothing happened. He wasn't hurt or bleeding, but the pain was as real as when it had happened before.

Naruto glanced at the memory. His hands were… somehow peeling. It was all he could see before everything had blacked out, but it didn't matter. Naruto was speechless as the pain slowly faded as the memory had. What had he become during that time? He—he knew that he had hurt Sakura-chan when he had transformed into the Kyuubi, and he was glad he couldn't remember that.

But this proved what everyone in the village had said. He truly was a monster. He knew now why they had hated him so much. They were afraid of the monster inside of him, and he was becoming what they had always thought he was. He wanted to protect the village, and its people. How could he do that if he was a monster?

Naruto was suddenly bombarded with another memory. It was the one almost right after the Kyuubi had possessed him.

Sasuke was standing in front of him, staring down at Naruto and Sakura. He hadn't been able to save Sasuke.

Naruto balled his hands into fists as the memories kept flickering by: the fight in The Valley of the End, or the fight where Sasuke had been able to see the Kyuubi. Again Naruto hadn't been able to save Sasuke. More images of their fight flashed by, mostly the ones when Naruto hadn't been able to stop Sasuke's attack.

Different memories attacked him, but they held the same message. He hadn't been able to save Gaara from the Akatsuki. He had been too late. All Naruto had been able to do was to contribute some of his chakra to Elder Chiyo. He hadn't done anything. He was still useless. He couldn't save anybody. He was so weak.

"No!" Naruto cried, trying to block the images. But they wouldn't go away. He could still feel all the despair, all the pain, and it suffocated him. In some part of his mind, Naruto knew this was genjutsu. But he couldn't stop this one. He was trapped inside of his own head, trapped with the memories that made him feel utterly useless.

--

How much time had passed? Naruto didn't know. Time was nonexistent here in his head. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach, the pain of his memories occasionally being too much to bear, but there was always pain. All those memories from his past of the villagers sneering at him and shunning him… Naruto had thought that he was over those memories, that they no longer bothered him. He was wrong.

The memories were still as fresh as when they had happened. He still felt the sting of rejection, the pain of the parents' shoves. How could he still remember all of this? How come he couldn't remember any of the good things, like when Sakura had looked like she had cared about him, or the time that he had actually had friends? But they seemed so far away now, a small light at the end of an endless tunnel. He couldn't conjure the happy feelings. They were lost.

One after the other, the memories kept coming. All the bad ones, all the painful ones, filled his mind and played like a movie in front of him. He couldn't save Sasuke… He couldn't save Gaara… He hadn't kept his promise to Sakura… Everyone laughed at him… Everyone made fun of him… Nobody believed him… There was nothing except an endless feeling of despair.

Suddenly, pain like none other that Naruto had felt before split and tore at the inside of his head. He screamed in unexpected agony. What was this? He could feel the jutsu fighting against something else inside his head, and whatever it was wasn't giving way. Naruto fell to the floor in his mind, thrashing as the pain intensified. Suddenly, the pain stopped as quickly as it had come, and the atmosphere changed. Instead of despair and inexplicable pain, there was a sense of urgency and fear.

"Are you sure?" someone asked. Naruto gasped. It was—That was Ero-sennin's voice! "Are you sure you want me to seal your…"

"Jiraiya-sama. You know I like to do things for specific reasons. But this one has no concrete reason. I just want… I want him to be able to remember us, whether the seal is broken by force or you release it. I want him to know…" someone else said.

Naruto couldn't breathe. The Fourth Hokage was somehow in his memory.


	3. Chapter 3

**All right, here's my third chapter! I hope you guys have been enjoying it so far! I really appreciate everyone's reviews, and don't be afraid to send me constructive criticism if there's something wrong or misspelled or whatnot. This is my first Naruto story, so please forgive me if some things aren't right.**

**Thanks everyone! Please enjoy!**

Chapter Three

Tsunade smiled. "Found it," she mumbled triumphantly. She closed her eyes, entering the memory section of Naruto's head. Suddenly, she was in a dark hallway surrounded by smooth walls. Tsunade furrowed her brow. This didn't look right. She had been inside many people's minds and memories, but this was different and it didn't look like it should.

A bright light suddenly filled the end of the hallway. Tsunade could barely hear voices, and they sounded strangely familiar. She gritted her teeth and walked quickly towards the light and sound. But as she got closer, her footsteps slowed. She recognized these voices. Tsunade quickly took the last few strides, and was in a large "room". The wall in front of her was completely filled with an image, a memory. She gasped at the two people in the memory.

Naruto whipped his head around, startled to see Tsunade here in his memory. "What are you doing here?" he asked, standing to his feet.

Tsunade didn't answer him. "Naruto, what is the Fourth Hokage doing in your memory?" Her hand flashed in the direction of the memory. Naruto glanced at it, a strange feeling washing over him. Why was the Fourth Hokage in his memory? He had never known him.

The Fourth Hokage's words sifted through Naruto's ears. "Jiraiya-sama, I want you to seal these inside of his mind. I don't want him to grow up conceited. I want him to be like the Naruto in your book; I want him to know what is truly important."

A loud, chilling roar shattered the air, and the Fourth Hokage looked at Jiraiya nervously. "Please, Jiraiya? Whenever he finds out, I at least want him to know that Kushina and I never wanted to leave him alone." The earth underneath the Fourth Hokage and Jiraiya trembled with the force of five earthquakes.

Naruto couldn't believe it. He knew he had heard that chilling, hideous roar before. But he couldn't think of that. Jiraiya hesitated, and the Fourth pushed his case. "Hurry, Jiraiya. Hurry before I must…"

Jiraiya nodded, determined. "All right."

"Naruto!"

He turned in the direction that his name had been called. Tsunade was rushing over to him, a worried look on her face. "Naruto, stop these memories now! You _have_ to stop them!" _What kind of genjutsu is this? I've never seen anything like it before!_ Tsunade thought. She gritted her teeth when Naruto didn't move.

"Stop them already!"

"I don't know how to stop them!" he protested. Suddenly, a stubborn and determined look lighted his face. "You can't make me stop them! What if I don't want to? What if I want to remember what these memories are?"

"I'll force you if you don't stop them now!"

"Ha!" Naruto laughed. "I don't want them to stop."

Tsunade swung her arm, sending chakra to her fist. It connected with Naruto's cheek, and he was hurled against the wall of his memory. Tsunade gasped, suddenly becoming detached from Naruto's memory. She was back with Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi. Naruto's body arched up like he had been hit. Though his mouth didn't open, blood trickled down out of his mouth and down his chin.

What had she done to Naruto?

Tsunade quickly placed herself back in Naruto's memory. But there was nothing wrong with him. There was no blood running down his chin, nothing that gave evidence of him being hurt. Naruto stood slowly, glaring at Tsunade with a hate that she had never seen in him before. She could feel the heat of his hate, and it was almost suffocating her.

"Get out," Naruto growled. "I _want_ to remember this, no matter what it is!" Naruto swung his arm back and released all of his strength into the punch. Tsunade gasped, and her image inside of Naruto's head disappeared. Naruto placed his hands on his hips, smiling in triumph. But it didn't last long. He turned to the images playing on the wall of his head. He had hit Grandma Tsunade for that? He wanted to remember, but he didn't know why he had shown her so much hate. What had come over him?

The same memory of him turning into the Kyuubi filled the wall of his memories. He knew why now. It was the Kyuubi that often filled him with so much hate. Naruto balled his hand into a fist. He was hurting everyone that he was close to because of this monster that was inside of him.

The despair gripped him once more. He grabbed at the fabric of his shirt, trying to suppress the urge to rip it to shreds. Why did he have to harbor the Kyuubi? Why did it have to be him that had been shunned and despised? He hadn't done anything to the people of Konoha, and yet they had still had hated him for the monster that he carried. Even now, some of the people were still afraid of him.

He had his friends now, but they were so far away… He was spinning through the abyss filled with hate, despair, lonliness. And above all—he was weak. He was so weak. He hadn't been able to save Gaara before he had died. All he had been able to do was to contribute his chakra. He hadn't been able to save Sakura from himself; he had been the one to hurt her that time. He hadn't been able to save Sasuke from that monster Orochimaru. He was weak… so weak…

A sweet, angelic laugh suddenly filled the walls inside of his head. Naruto let the sound reverberate off of his eardrums, its notes filling him with a strange sense of hope and security. Naruto slowly lifted his head, finally setting his eyes on the image in front of him. Naruto gasped.

There in front of him stood one of the prettiest women he had ever seen. Her mouth was open and her hand was on her stomach as she laughed. Her hair was bright red and fell past her waist. Her eyes were closed, but when she opened them, they flashed a bright, amused green.

"Minato, don't!" she scolded playfully as she laughed. "You're going to wake Naruto up!"

Another laugh filled the room. It was pleasant, but deeper than the woman's. He sounded amused, and the image suddenly shifted to show a man bending over a small cradle. The man turned his face towards the woman, smiling sheepishly.

Naruto gasped. It—it was the Fourth Hokage again! But this woman had called him Minato. Was this really someone different, or were they the same? A piercing scream suddenly filled the room, and Naruto grimaced, covering his ears with his hands. Minato's hand froze, and his eyes widened with surprise.

The woman rolled her eyes and moved next to Minato. "I told you not to do that! Now he's crying."

"Kushina, I…" Minato started, but the woman called Kushina cut him off.

"Here. You were the one to wake him up, so you hold him."

Minato's head whipped up. His eyes were strangely afraid as he glanced at Kushina then down to the crying bundle in her arms. "But I… I don't want to… You know that I can kill a whole army…"

Kushina placed her hand on Minato's cheek, sliding it down his face until it rested underneath his chin. She pulled his chin up, forcing his eyes away from the bundle and to her face. Her green eyes were soft, yet they held a fierce determination to them. "I know you won't hurt him. I know you're afraid of that. But I know you would never hurt Naruto. I know you wouldn't hurt our son. And he knows it, too."

Naruto couldn't think, couldn't breathe. That was the second time that Kushina had mentioned his name, and as far as he knew there was only one Naruto in the village of Konoha. But he didn't have time to think about that. Minato was slowly reaching for the small, crying bundle, his arms rigid.

An angelic laugh escaped from Kushina's lips. "Just relax, Minato. Hold him up like… No, wait…! There you go. Just relax." She smiled as the crying began to cease as Minato gently rocked the baby back and forth. "See?" she whispered lovingly. "He knows your voice and touch. He knows you're his daddy."

Naruto's eyes grew even wider as Kushina gently pushed the blanket away from the baby's face. What little hair it had was blond, and though its eyes were closed, Naruto didn't need to see the color. His eyes were glued to the three whisker marks on each of the baby's cheeks.

There was no doubt that this baby the Fourth Hokage was holding was Naruto.

--

Tsunade gasped as she was thrust back into the hospital room with the other ninja. She gritted her teeth and tried the technique again, but somehow, Naruto was blocking her. No matter how hard she tried or how much chakra she forced into the jutsu, she could not get through the barrier that was blocking her from Naruto.

Sakura furrowed her brow. She had never seen Tsunade this frustrated and upset about anything. It wasn't everyday that someone could stump Tsunade about genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. She was one of the best, one of the Sannin.

"Sakura!"

"Oh! Yes!" Sakura answered.

"Stay by Naruto. I need to consult my books," Tsunade ordered grudgingly. The Hokage quickly exited the hospital room. Sakura pulled up a chair and sat down by the hospital bed. Naruto grimaced, and Sakura felt tears prick her eyes. How much pain was Naruto in? How much longer would he be trapped in this genjutsu?

"Kakashi-sensei, Sai. You can leave now. I can take care of Naruto," Sakura said fiercely through her tears. She didn't look at them. She wanted to be alone for the moment.

Sai nodded and quickly exited the room, but Kakashi hesitated. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

Sakura nodded slowly, waiting until she couldn't feel Kakashi there anymore. She sat by Naruto, watching his face slowly change. It didn't matter that he now looked surprised, even slightly happy. She still wasn't able to do anything for him. She was completely useless. No matter how hard she trained, it still wasn't enough. They hadn't been able to bring back Sasuke, even when they were together.

An image of Naruto as the Kyuubi filled Sakura's mind. Naruto had gotten so angry at Orochimaru. He had hurt himself badly by using that horrid chakra. Even though Naruto had been so powerful that time, even though he had looked like a monster, she hadn't been afraid of him. Even now, Sakura didn't care if he turned into the Kyuubi. She just didn't want him to get hurt.

The chair scraped on the floor as Sakura stood. She balled her hand into a fist. She had to do something. She didn't know how well she could perform this jutsu; Tsunade had taught Sakura how to do it, but she had never actually done it on someone. Sakura pressed her lips together, making her hands form a string a seals as she built up the chakra in her chest. She formed the last seal, and a small ball of green chakra formed on her fingertips. She placed her hands on Naruto's bare forehead.

"Enter!" she whispered.

Sakura gasped. Was this right? A strange, dim yellow light illuminated a dark hallway. Pipes ran along the ceiling, and as Sakura moved, she noticed that she was standing in water. It was only to her ankles, but it startled her nonetheless. There were countless other hallways that branched from this one, but Sakura didn't know which one to take.

A low sound echoed through one of the hallways closest to Sakura and bounced off of the walls. Sakura narrowed her eyes and stomped through the water, her hands balling into fists. "Naruto!" she cried. She was ready to pulverize him in order to bring him back. The low sound grew louder, and Sakura hesitated. Why did it seem so cold here? So lifeless and dark?

"N—Naruto?" she asked uneasily.

The room that greeted Sakura was the last thing she expected. She could just barely see the ceiling. A gate larger than any that she had ever seen loomed in front of her, the doors bared by a simple seal. The dim yellow light still shone, but the space behind the gate was pitch black.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked again, her voice low and unsure.

"So…" a deep, chilling voice said. Sakura gasped, her limbs suddenly freezing. She didn't understand the fear that was consuming her muscles. "Have you finally realized that you can't do anything on your own… Twerp?"

What was this? Sakura could feel the hate and impatience that saturated the air in the room. She wasn't sure what was going on. Where was she?

The chilling voice laughed. It was a mocking, cynical sound that sent shivers racing up Sakura's spine. "You know that you can't do anything without me," it continued. "Have you finally come to accept that?" The air was suddenly dripping with malice and hate. Sakura could barely stand; her knees were about to buckle under the immense pressure of hate. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face.

"Release this seal, and I'll give you my power!"

"Na—ru—to…?"

"Huh?" A flaming red light appeared behind the sealed gate, and Sakura jumped back, a small scream escaping her lips. What was this… _thing_? Two abhorring eyes glared at her, and two rows of teeth sharper than kunai were bared as a low, loathing growl ripped through the silence.

"Oh." Another chilling laugh. "You're not Naruto. Well, then…"

Sakura gasped, quickly standing to her feet as she heard a bubbling sound near the bottom of her feet. Sakura knew this was chakra, but it was the most sinister chakra she had ever felt before. She could feel it rising all around her, the bubbles coming together to make form some kind of shape.

"Wh—what?" Sakura cried. The chakra had molded together in the shape of a fox. Sakura was just as large as its nose, and its front legs extended on either side of her. She saw the glimmering white teeth and the sadistic eyes, and her ears were filled with the chilling sound of its growl.

Though Sakura had only heard of this demon, she recognized it immediately. She had never seen its true form, but she remembered seeing a glimmer of its shape when Naruto had fought Orochimaru. "You—you're the Kyuubi!"

The Kyuubi laughed. "So you've heard of me. Well, then… How shall I kill you?"

Sakura clutched her hands together. Could it kill her, even though she was outside of the seal? She didn't want to die. She wanted to be able to live; she wanted to save Naruto from the genjutsu that still had a hold of him, but if she died… A hand suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the Kyuubi from advancing. Sakura gasped.

It was Naruto!

**Well, the next chapter should be coming soon!! I know I've already written it, but I've got tons to do, so I hope you guys can bear with me on this!!**

**By the way, does anyone know Kushina's true eye color? Cause I've seen pictures of her with blue eyes, and some with green. I personally like the idea of green eyes, but if I can find where some says they're blue, then I'll change it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, thanks for all the reviews so far, guys! Okay, so I realize the whole "whisker" thing with Naruto doesn't exactly match (thanks for pointing that out to me), but for now it works with the story until I edit it. This is still a rough-draft; I'm busy with school so I don't have time to edit this story.**

**So, before school completely consumes my life again, here's the fourth chapter. And I don't mind constructive criticism—that's part of the reason I'm putting this up here—but you know, just let me know nicely. I've had some people directly e-mail me a little harshly, and I'd just like it if people were nice about it.**

**Thanks guys!! Please enjoy the fourth chapter!**

Chapter Four

Sakura gasped in relief. "Naruto!" But her relief faded quickly. She had seen this look on Naruto's face before, but only once. She had seen this look right before he had turned into a miniature Kyuubi. Sakura clutched her shirt. It couldn't happen again—not _inside_ Naruto. Could it?

Naruto gritted his teeth. "If you try to hurt Sakura again, I _will_ seal you away so that none of your chakra can come out. I already told you that I don't need you anymore! So leave me alone!" Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand. "Come on, Sakura."

The Kyuubi growled menacingly. Naruto quickly hurled Sakura aside and stood in front of the Kyuubi, his arms spread in a protective manner. Sakura couldn't move. She was frozen in place. All she could do was watch.

Naruto gritted his teeth, staring at the Kyuubi as it stared back at him. The Kyuubi growled again, but Naruto didn't back down. "Like I've said before: you've got guts blackmailing me like that. I will leave for now, Twerp, but do _not_ annihilate me. You will regret it…" The Kyuubi's voice faded as its chakra did. Naruto slowly relaxed his posture, then walked over to Sakura again.

Naruto slowly touched Sakura's hand. The moment their skin touched, they were transported into another hallway. This hallway was brighter than the other one, and voices wafted to her from the very end of the hallway. Naruto let go of Sakura's hand and walked towards a bright light, disappearing behind it.

Sakura gasped, immediately feeling anxious. She didn't know where she was, and she wanted to follow Naruto, but she was afraid to. Sakura gritted her teeth. Why would Naruto lead her to a place where she might get hurt? Hadn't he just protected her from the Kyuubi? Sakura's desperation finally won out. She rushed towards the light, stopping in surprise when she finally passed it.

She was in a round room, and the entire wall in front of her was covered in random, moving images. Sakura glanced around, her eyes finally resting on Naruto. He sat on the floor, leaning against the back wall, his eyes sad as they watched the images. He didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Did you come to force me out of here, too, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura gasped. She had planned to make him wake from the genjutsu, but now she didn't have the heart. Instead, she stayed where she was, her eyes watching the images that moved across the wall. Somehow, she felt some of the feelings that seemed to go with the images: anger, hurt, despair, loneliness.

"I won't go," Naruto continued. Sakura nodded, swallowing nervously and trying to start a casual conversation. Though her voice wavered, it worked to some degree.

"What's on the wall?" Her voice sounded small.

Naruto hesitated. He felt exposed with Sakura here. She would be able to feel what he had been through, and all the bad things that had happened before. He knew he wouldn't be able to remember anything good; he hadn't been able to for who knew how long. Naruto cast his eyes to the floor.

"My memories," he answered slowly. He winced as another memory flooded the wall, the same feelings of hurt and despair pounding at his heart.

Sakura gasped. She had felt it, too. She had never felt this kind of pain and sadness before, and it cut at her heart like a knife. Her eyes followed the memory on the wall, followed Naruto when he was a little boy.

Naruto was about seven or eight, his face creased in a smile like it normally was. He walked through the village, glancing happily at all the movement around the village. But no one even gave him a passing glance. It was as if the villagers were looking away on purpose.

Naruto stopped in his tracks as a small cry reached his ears. He glanced around, finally locating the source of the noise. A small four-year-old girl was sitting in the dirt, a confused look adorning her face. Naruto broke into a run, quickly reaching the girl and touching her arm. He smiled at her as he tried to help her up.

A scream caused both Naruto and the little girl to jump. Naruto quickly helped the girl to her feet, his arms instinctively trying to shield her from the source of the scream.

"Get away!" a woman cried. "Get away, you monster!" The woman ran towards the two children, her hand reaching out and shoving Naruto aside. Naruto gasped as he flew a few yards, finally hitting the dirt. He looked up at the woman as she towered over him, her face fierce and afraid at the same time. "Stay away from my daughter!"

With that, the woman ran off, leaving Naruto in the middle of the street. He watched her disappear, something inside of him ripping again. Sakura suddenly felt the same pain. She felt the hurt tear across her heart, the loneliness grip her like a clawed fist. Still the Naruto in the dirt did not cry.

Another memory, another rejection. Sakura heard the same words over and over again. The parents of the children seemed to hate Naruto.

"Freak!"

"Monster!"

"Go away you demon! You devil!"

There was even a memory when Naruto skipped class to play with Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. Their parents, too, quickly called their kids home, leaving Naruto on the playground. Every time the same feelings afflicted the room. Sakura always felt the same hurt and despair and loneliness. When the room was filled with anger, the following memory would be one of his crazy acts to get attention.

Sakura turned to Naruto, completely shocked. She knew that there had to be many more memories like those, but she hadn't seen them nor did she even want to. They were Naruto's memories, and his alone. But she could not believe how he had turned out like he was now. Anyone with that type of childhood would have buckled under all the hurt and loneliness, but Naruto was somehow different. He was always happy, always trying to better than the day before.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered, her voice full of sympathy. Naruto grimaced, then let out a nervous laugh.

"I guess…" Suddenly, Naruto's head whipped up, and the entire atmosphere in the room changed. There was a strange but true sense of happiness that charged the air, and Sakura's eyes were drawn to the wall.

A woman stood outside in the grass, her green eyes wide and bright with excitement. In her arms was a small baby boy, no more than a year old. Sakura immediately recognized the blond hair, blue eyes, and whiskers. It was Naruto, but he was so small! She quickly glanced at how tall he was now—taller than she was—then back to him as a tiny baby.

"Who is she?" Sakura asked out loud, not expecting an answer.

"Her name is Kushina," Naruto answered. "I don't know her last name."

Sakura's eyes turned back to the memory. Kushina was smiling, her long red hair blowing in the breeze. She slowly let Naruto to the grass onto his legs, her hands completely encircling his. She held him up as a happy laugh escaped his throat. Kushina laughed as well, moving with Naruto as he tried to walk.

"Minato!" Kushina cried happily over her shoulder. "Minato look! He's walking!"

A tall man with spiky blond hair suddenly appeared by Kushina's side. Sakura gasped. He looked exactly like an older version of Naruto! His hair… Sakura knew that she had seen his face before. But they were… they were Naruto's parents.

Minato laughed as he bent down close to Naruto. He took his fingers and gently rubbed Naruto's side. The baby giggled and squealed as Minato continued to tickle him. Kushina smiled mischievously, letting go of Naruto to quickly wrap her arms around Minato's waist. Minato's eyes widened in surprise as Kushina threw him off balance and caused him to roll in the grass.

Naruto squealed and clapped his hands happily, the movement causing him to fall to the grass without any more support. For a moment, everyone was silent, waiting for Naruto to cry. But Naruto clapped his hands again and giggled. Minato sighed in relief, and Kushina threw her head back, laughing. She let go of Minato only to quickly grab his face and pull him into a kiss. Minato kissed her back, pulling away only to glance at Naruto, who was now trying to stand on his own.

"Look, look!" Minato marveled. Kushina sat up next to Minato, her green eyes full of love for the determined baby boy. Not once did the baby cry, no matter how many times he fell. Minato and Kushina watched, their hands entwined and Kushina's head resting on Minato's shoulder. Finally, Naruto stood to his feet, his balance unsure for a moment. His head turned to Minato and Kushina, a look of utter happiness and wonder filling his face.

"Daddy!" Naruto shouted. Kushina gasped, and Minato stared in astonishment. Kushina laughed, turning her face towards Minato. Her shining eyes had tears streaming from the corners.

"That was his first word," she whispered happily.

Minato swallowed, slowing holding out his arms to Naruto. "Come one, Naruto. Come to Daddy. Come on." Naruto looked away for a moment, still smiling, before carefully moving towards Minato. Minato's fingers urged Naruto forward. Minato couldn't believe that Naruto was actually _walking_ towards him.

"Daddy!" Naruto cried again. But right as he reached Minato's arms, Naruto tripped, starting to fall. Minato quickly stopped him from falling, cradling the baby to his chest. Naruto laughed as he lifted his small fist to pull on Minato's hair, and Minato's face relaxed. Naruto glanced over at Kushina, leaning towards her with his arms outstretched. "Mommy!" he smiled. Kushina gasped, momentarily frozen. She glanced at Minato, gingerly reaching out to take Naruto from Minato's arms. She clutched him to her, tears streaming down her face and into Naruto's hair.

Naruto's smile faded slowly, and his lids started to close. Kushina handed him back to Minato. "Here," she whispered. "You should hold him more." Minato cradled Naruto close to him, leaning onto his back to stare at the clouds in the sky. Kushina copied him, enclosing her fingers with Minato's. Kushina glanced at Naruto. He was already asleep on Minato's chest, his face tired but happy.

Minato closed his eyes, too, his free hand covering Naruto's small body protectively. Kushina rolled so that she was facing Minato, placing her left hand on Minato's chest, making sure a few of her fingers touched the sleeping boy. A small smile tugged at the corners of Kushina's mouth. She loved these two so much.

"I see you two haven't been getting much sleep."

Kushina gasped, her eyes flashing open as she quickly sat up. Minato's hand tightened involuntarily over Naruto. Faster than the eyes could see, he was on his feet in front of Naruto and Kushina. An amused laugh echoed from the stranger's throat, and he held his hands up.

"Oh, it's you, Jiraiya-sama." Minato relaxed completely, picking up the still-sleeping Naruto from the ground. Kushina stood as well, her eyes wary, but only from the surprise of seeing Jiraiya. She touched Minato's arm, as if it would give her strength and help her stand.

"Don't scare us like that, Jiraiya-sama!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Jiraiya apologized. "But like I said before, you two must not get enough sleep.

Kushina laughed. "I guess we don't. Naruto wakes us up to be fed."

A mischievous light filled Jiraiya's eyes. "Have you introduced him to ramen, yet, Kushina?" Jiraiya teased.

Kushina gasped, but she suppressed the urge to punch Jiraiya. "Just because I like ramen doesn't mean he will. And stop teasing me about it! There's nothing wrong with liking ramen."

Minato smiled. "I've come to like it, too. And I think Naruto _will_ like ramen." All three adults glanced at the sleeping boy. He was completely oblivious to the conversation and events taking place. Kushina smiled at him, then held out her arms to take him.

"I should go put him to bed," she whispered. "He's had a long, hard day." Minato smiled and took Kushina's hand.

"It's okay. I'll take him up with you." Minato and Kushina turned to leave, but Jiraiya stopped them. His face was serious as he smiled.

"Kushina, you truly have brought great pride to the Uzumaki clan. As you have requested, your parents are still the only people to know about you and Minato's marriage." Kushina nodded her head in a thank you. But Jiraiya wasn't done. "Minato. My own student. You continue to impress me to this day. This village was truly blessed the day you agreed to become Hokage."

Minato smiled. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."

Silence reigned for a moment. "Well," Jiraiya started, his playful nature taking over again. "I'm starting a new book, and I need to get data and information." Kushina smiled knowingly and rolled her eyes in annoyance as Jiraiya placed his hands in front of them. Minato and Kushina waved as Jiraiya suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Minato bent down to kiss Kushina. "Let's go," he said, the memory starting to fade as the two walked towards the house.

Sakura quickly glanced at Naruto. His eyes were filled with tears, though they hadn't fallen yet. His face looked so happy, even though his mouth was twisted in disappointment as he tried not to cry. Sakura glanced back at the wall, but the memory was gone. Another memory had already taken its place. But Sakura still could hardly accept it. The Fourth Hokage was Naruto's father? It… it didn't make any sense!

"I couldn't believe it, either," Naruto whispered. Sakura gasped and glanced down at Naruto. The tears had coursed down his cheeks, and although he was looking at the wall of his memories, Sakura had a feeling that he wasn't actually seeing them. "But…" he couldn't seem to finish.

Sakura glanced back at the wall of memories. The images were of the first real fight between Naruto and Sasuke. It flashed to Naruto when he had transformed into the Kyuubi in all of his anger. It flashed to the second meeting with Sasuke in Orochimaru's lair. It flashed through them all, the feelings of failure consuming the air now.

The images flashed back to the time when Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Choji, and Shikamaru had gone to retrieve Sasuke. Sakura could hear her own voice, her own words as she stood there crying in front of Naruto. She was begging him to find Sasuke, to bring him back to her. She saw him lower his head and explain to the others that he felt the exact same way. Then, he smiled. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She knew what he would say.

"_Don't worry about it Sakura-chan! I will definitely bring Sasuke back! It's a promise of a lifetime!"_ she heard him say again. Sakura glanced down at the older Naruto. He winced, turning away his head as if he knew what was coming next. Sakura glanced back at the wall, her breath catching in her throat.

Naruto was lying in the water, Sasuke standing over his inert form. Naruto floated for a moment before Sasuke stepped over to him, his eyes almost sad. A strange bubbling noise rose from the water, and Sakura immediately recognized it. The Kyuubi's red chakra bubbled around Naruto, placing his feet above the water. It lifted him up slowly, the chakra extending to the water and acting like arms.

Sakura quickly turned her eyes away from the wall to Naruto. His face was buried in his hands, his knees pulled up to his chest. Sakura gasped as she felt a strange power fill the room, and she looked back at the fight on the wall. When Naruto was almost fully upright, his right fist—faster than even Sasuke's Sharingan could catch—swung out and collided with Sasuke's face. Sasuke was hurled over backward, crashing to the water.

Naruto clutched at his stomach as the Kyuubi's chakra surrounded him, pushing him to the water. His hands touched the water, and it steamed from the heat of the chakra. Naruto growled at Sasuke, his nails lengthening, his eyes filled with wicked determination.

The scene quickly changed. The wall was black for a moment, but the same feelings of failure and despair never went away. Sakura glanced at Naruto. She remembered when Kakashi had brought him back. Naruto had been covered in bandages. Almost every inch of him had been wrapped carefully. Sakura remembered how Naruto had promised again that he would keep that promise of his, how no matter how long it took, he would bring Sasuke back.

"Naruto," Sakura said desperately, kneeling next to him. "Naruto, isn't there something you can do to stop this? Isn't there any way that you can get out of this and come back to us?"

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged, and he looked up at the wall of his memories again. The image was white at first, then slowly came into focus. The atmosphere was suddenly charged with urgency and fear. Naruto stared transfixed on the memory in front of him. "I don't know if I want to."

**Heheheee. I love cliffies!!! Thanks for sticking with me guys!! Just two more weeks, or as soon as I can get these chapters out, and you'll have the whole thing! I'd love to know what ya'll think!!**

**- wolf's paradise**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! Another update! I hope you guys like this chapter! This one was an interesting chapter to write. I liked writing it, and yet I was also a little bored. Very strange for me, especially if it's about an awesome fight. Sorry if it's a little bland, hurried or rushed. Please remember that this is just a rough draft and I want to see how I rate in the writing of Naruto-ness!!**

**Enjoy!!**

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Chapter 5

Sakura stared helplessly at Naruto as he gazed at the wall in front of him. Tears filled Sakura's eyes. What could she do? Tsunade had failed to get Naruto to stop the memories; how was she supposed to do it?

In frustration, Sakura turned her eyes to the wall in front of her, suddenly understanding why Naruto had stared so hard at it. The earth shuddered with the force of five earthquakes, followed by screams of fear and terror. A hundred or more adult ninja were rushing to the forest beyond, and through the dust and screams, two people stood still. Naruto's eyes widened. He had the feeling that he had seen part of this memory before.

"Are you sure?" Jiraiya asked urgently. His lip was bleeding, and his eyes were darting around nervously. "Are you sure you want me to seal…"

"Jiraiya-sama," Minato said urgently. "You know I like to do things for specific reasons, but this one has no concrete reason. I just want him… I just want him to be able to remember us, just in case… we don't make it. I don't care whether the seal is broken by force or you release it. I want him to know…" Minato couldn't finish the sentence. He glanced down at his arms wrapped gently around Naruto as he slept.

A ferocious roar rose above the chaos around the two ninja. Naruto gasped. It couldn't be…

Minato turned around, his eyes focusing on the enormous demon behind him. Sakura and Naruto gasped. The Kyuubi—in its true form—stood in the distance, challenging the many Konoha villagers that were trying to protect it. The Kyuubi towered over the trees, its nine tails waving threateningly. Four of its tails slammed the ground, causing the earth to quake again. Even from afar, the malice and hate in its eyes was clearly visible.

A wry smile tugged at the corners of Minato's mouth. Kushina would be itching to be in on the action. She had adopted Konoha as her home, after all. Suddenly, Minato's eyes widened in horror. "Kushina!" he cried. One of his special kunai was out of his hand in a second and flying towards the house. Minato teleported to its location, then threw it again, now only a few yards from their house in the woods that was situated close to the Hokage headquarters. He burst into the house, being careful not to make too much noise so that he'd wake Naruto. Minato's eyes searched the three rooms frantically, but there was no one there.

"No," Minato whispered, his voice cracking. "Kushina, no!"

Naruto and Sakura could feel Minato's desperation as he hurled himself forward through the trees and towards the Kyuubi. He was constantly throwing his special kunai, teleporting to their location, picking up one and throwing another. He was careful not to squish the small baby in his arms, but he couldn't help his free hand to curl into a fist.

It was just like Kushina to want to help protect what was dear to her. He remembered when she had protected Naruto from an angry boar, and she had almost sliced it to pieces. But even the memory of her protectiveness didn't give Minato any hope. He knew the real reason that she would fight to protect Konoha was because of the two people most important to her. She would fight until she died to protect Naruto and Minato.

Minato gritted his teeth and pressed himself faster. He had to stop her before… He just had to stop her. He had to get there in time. The Kyuubi kept looming closer and closer to him, kept growing larger and larger. But he didn't feel any fear. He would do anything to protect her and his son. In a way, he realized he was a lot like Kushina. But he knew that because of her impatience and temper, she usually always flew into a fight without thinking. Minato had to prevent that.

He was finally in the midst of the fight. Hundreds of ninja men and women were following and shouting orders, and there were a good handful that were on the ground being treated by medical ninja. He saw Tsunade helping to instruct some of the subordinate medical ninja. Minato was grateful for her help, but his mind was on something even more precious to him than the village. He knew it was selfish, but he had never met or loved anyone like he had Kushina. She was… his life.

Minato searched the crowd frantically, but he couldn't see her. He pushed through the ninja, ignoring their acknowledgements. His eyes were searching for one thing only, and they finally spotted her. She was breathing with difficulty, but her hands were moving quickly. Minato gasped, knowing which technique she was making. It was her best technique, and the most deadly, but it also left her extremely drained.

Her hands rose in the air, gathering the water from the ground. It balled in the air, coming together to form a bubble around her. She condensed the bubble, the wall of water thinning until it was barely visible. Suddenly, the water was hurled away from her, taking the shape of thousands of tiny, deadly needles. This was her best and only long-range technique. She was normally close-range fighter.

The water needles flew towards the Kyuubi, who was occupied with the other attacking ninja. Minato felt a glimmer of hope as he saw that the needles' aim was dead-on. Within seconds, the needles made contact, digging into the Kyuubi's skin, and sizzling into steam. The Kyuubi roared in pain as the water canceled out a little of its fiery chakra.

Kushina smiled, but gasped as she saw one of the Kyuubi's nine tails swing in her direction. Minato jumped forward, everything slowing as he tried to reach her. But he was too late. The tip of the tail caught Kushina's side, hurling her back with the force of a rockslide. Minato threw out a string of his wire, wrapping it around her to keep her from smashing into the trees. He caught her just in time.

She fell to the ground, her face grimacing in pain. Minato knelt beside her. "Kushina?" he asked, his voice shaking in panic. She smiled when she heard his voice, then her eyes snapped open in shock and fear.

"No! Minato, get out of here! Take Naruto…! You can't be here! You can't…" She gripped her side and grunted in pain. Minato lay Naruto gently on the grass, then carefully spread his hands over Kushina's side. She was bleeding badly on her arm and side, and it seemed as if the Kyuubi's chakra was somehow poisoning her. Her hand reached up, caressing Minato's face. He gasped, his eyes shifting to look into hers.

"Minato," she whispered. "Minato, I love you so much. Where's Naruto?"

"Right here," he answered, placing the still-sleeping baby in her arms. Minato felt panic rise to his throat. He didn't like the sound of her voice. It sounded like… It sounded like she was giving up.

"Hmm," Kushina chuckled. "I don't know how he's sleeping through this noise." With a tiny grunt, Naruto's eyes opened, and he gazed at his mother. He smiled for a moment, but the moment the Kyuubi roared again, Naruto's face screwed up as he started to scream. Kushina blocked it out, turning to Minato. "I can't hold on too much longer, Minato. I tried that jutsu twice, and I just don't have enough strength to continue. Take care… of Naruto… for me…"

"No," Minato pleaded. "Kushina!"

"No!" Sakura was pulled out of the memory by Naruto's cry. He was on his hands and knees, staring at the wall, tears streaming down his cheeks. "No!" he cried again.

"Kushina!" Minato cried, dragging Sakura back into the memory. He buried his head in his hands and cried, just like the baby Naruto was crying. Jiraiya suddenly appeared beside Minato, placing his hand on the Hokage's shoulder. Minato looked up at Jiraiya, his blue eyes filled with anguish. "Why?" he asked.

"Because she was protecting the ones she loved. She was protecting you, and she was protecting Naruto. Besides, she wouldn't have wanted to die any other way," Jiraiya said softly.

Minato wiped away his tears, then picked up Naruto. He turned to look at Jiraiya, his eyes fierce with determination. "I want you to seal some of my memories inside of his mind. I don't want him to grow up conceited. I want him to be like the Naruto in your book; I want him to know what is truly important, something that I just realized."

A loud, chilling roar shattered the air, and the Fourth Hokage looked at Jiraiya with even more determination. "Please, Jiraiya? Whenever he finds out, I at least want him to know that Kushina and I never wanted to leave him alone." The earth underneath the Fourth Hokage and Jiraiya trembled with the force of five more earthquakes.

"Alone?" Jiraiya said skeptically.

"I know what I must do," Minato said, his eyes turning towards the Kyuubi. "The jutsu is still unfinished, but I believe that it is the only way to stop this demon. That jutsu is all I have left to protect what is dear to me, even if it costs me my life in return." Minato's eyes returned to Kushina.

"Hurry, Jiraiya. Hurry before I must go."

Jiraiya nodded, still unsure. "All right," he finally agreed. Minato gathered some of his chakra into his hands, almost as if he were forming a rasengan. Jiraiya placed his hands on top of Minato's, fusing his chakra with the Hokage's to form two small balls of energy. Minato closed his eyes, channeling a select few of his memories into the chakra. When Minato was finished, Jiraiya took Minato's chakra from his hands and placed the balls of chakra on Naruto's head.

Minato stood silently as the chakra sifted into Naruto's mind. Once Jiraiya had finished, Minato stepped over to his son and knelt beside him. Naruto's eyes had once again closed in sleep. "It's passed his bedtime. No wonder he's so tired," Minato laughed quietly. Minato placed his hand over Naruto's, then picked him up, cradling him to his chest. "You already have your mother's personality. But for now, you won't know who we are until the time is right." Minato turned to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, watch for the end, please. I'll need your help."

Jiraiya nodded gravely. Minato placed Naruto inside of his jacket, giving the baby one last sorrowful look before completely shutting down his emotions. Minato bit his finger, letting some of the blood flow as his hands formed the proper seals. He thrust his bloody hand onto the grass.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he cried, a puff of smoke immediately surrounding him. Minato heard the cheers of the Konoha ninja as the enormous frog Gamabunta came into view. The frog glanced at the Kyuubi, his eyes narrowing and his tongue slithering out of his mouth. Minato gasped as he felt Naruto move. He sighed in relief when he realized that Naruto was still sleeping.

"Gamabunta," Minato said. The large frog tilted his head. "I need to make sure that this demon can't be defeated any other way." Gamabunta nodded, his webbed feet forming seals and spouting water bullets. Minato thrust his own water jutsus towards the fox, combining them with Gamabunta's already powerful attacks. The fox roared as the water hit him, fully taking the brunt of the combination in front of him.

The Kyuubi growled again, gathering his chakra in his chest and expelling it in one powerful thrust. His chakra burst into flames as soon as it left his mouth, leaving little time for Minato and Gamabunta to thrust up a protective wall of water. Minato relaxed his defensive posture only slightly. Twice more the two tried their best jutsu combinations, but the fox didn't even seem damaged at all. Minato narrowed his eyes.

"Gamabunta, I don't know how this jutsu will work. I've never tried it on anything before, of course, but I must do it now."

"Minato," the frog mumbled.

"No. I have to," Minato said fiercely. He gently cradled Naruto in his arms. "I have to protect what is precious to me." Minato laid Naruto on the giant frog's head. "Just don't move too quickly. He can't hold onto anything." Gamabunta nodded his great head, and Minato gathered his chakra. This was it. The end was coming. The Kyuubi's roars drowned out Minato's voice, but Gamabunta didn't have to hear the words to know what Minato had called upon.

The air around the Fourth Hokage was suddenly cold as ice. There was an evil chill in the air, and Minato glanced over his shoulder. He had discovered this jutsu, but he still couldn't stand the malicious devil's face. It was hideous to look at, and even more frightening to be caught in its clutches. Minato picked Naruto back up.

"Hurry, Gamabunta!"

The frog nodded, bounding forward to the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi fired off rounds of bullets, but Gamabunta canceled them with his water techniques. Gamabunta neared the fox… His webbed feet reaching out and latching onto the Kyuubi's shoulders… Everything was fading. The scene was blacking out…

Jiraiya knelt beside the Fourth Hokage. "Jiraiya," Minato stammered. "Bring… Bring Naruto to me… Please." Jiraiya nodded, picking up the now-crying baby boy and placing him in Minato's arms. Minato smiled as best as he could through the pain. His hands touched the boy's tear-stained cheeks, trying to sooth him. Though the skin around the seal on Naruto's stomach was still red and swollen, the baby opened his wide blue eyes. He looked into Minato's, sniffling and reaching for a piece of Minato's bloodied hair. His fingers latched onto it.

"D-Daddy," Naruto stammered through his tears. "O-ow."

A sudden crash of thunder shattered the still air. Minato felt tears flood his eyes, then mix with the sudden downpour of rain. "I know," Minato whispered. His hand caressed Naruto's chubby cheeks, almost as if he was trying to memorize his son's face. A flicker of movement stirred the air, but Minato didn't look. "Kakashi," he whispered, knowing whom it was without needing to look.

"Yes, sensei?" Kakashi said gravely.

"Take… Please take care of him. You and Jiraiya… and Tsunade… knew Kushina and I better than anyone. You… I know Jiraiya is busy, and Tsunade…" Minato attempted to laugh, but it caught in his throat and came out a cough. "But… I know Konoha will want you… to teach. I leave him… to you both. But… I don't want people to see him… as a monster, as the cause of this. He… he's nothing like that."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Of course."

Minato turned to Naruto with a grunt. "Grow up well, my son. Have dreams, wishes, ambitions, but above all, know what's important. Your mother and I love you… so… much…" Minato's eyes closed slowly, and his breathing ceased. Jiraiya quickly gathered part of his chakra in both hands, thinking for a moment before placing the chakra to Naruto's forehead.

"One last memory, Naruto. One last memory of your father dying a noble death. He died for this village, but he always had a special place in his heart for you and your mother. He was never happier than when he was with you." Jiraiya's mouth pulled down into a frown, the rain continuing to fall. It was as if it was cleansing the air and ground from the deleterious fight. Naruto blinked once, twice. His little hand pushed slightly on Minato's shoulder, but the Hokage didn't move. "Seal," Jiraiya whispered.

The memory started to fade. Blackness was taking over the images that were still playing. Sakura sniffed, wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes turned to Naruto. He was crying, too, but his shoulders were shaking with grief. Sakura didn't know what to say. What could she say? She had known her parents. Naruto had never known who his parents were, but she knew that he had always loved them. Now that he had memories of them, and had gotten to know them even a little, everything was much worse.

Sakura felt her own eyes tear even more as she stared at Naruto. So, she did the one thing that she could think of. She knelt beside Naruto, carefully placing her arms around his heaving shoulders. For a moment, Naruto didn't move, and Sakura was about to let go. Suddenly, Naruto turned to her, burying his head in her shoulder as he cried. Sakura clutched him tighter, hating the fact that again Naruto was in pain, and there was nothing she could do to fix it.

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**I was also sad while writing this chapter. Poor Minato…**

**Well, I'll be updating within the next week for the last (sad face) and final chapter!**

**- wolf's paradise**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Well, here's the last chapter in this little short story. At least, I think so. I don't know if I'm going to have this story continue for a little while or not, so if you think I should, let me know! It'll probably take me some time, though, to think of something else to put. Thanks for reading it so far, and I hoped you enjoyed it!

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Chapter Six

Naruto didn't know how long Sakura held him. All he knew were the tears for the family that he had never known. He had never known the Fourth Hokage, nor had he known his mother. But for just a brief moment, he had been able to see what they had been like, and it wasn't fair that they were gone.

But Naruto knew how much he had always wanted a family. And he could have had one. He had seen how so many of his fellow peers at the academy had laughed and played with their families. He had always been alone. No matter what he had done, the parents had always kept the other kids away from him. He knew why now, of course, but that didn't change the fact that people still looked at him as if he were a monster.

Why had such a good person have to die? Why did his parents have to die? Naruto thought of Sasuke. He hadn't been the only person without parents. Sasuke had lost his parents, too, but Naruto didn't know which was worse: never knowing a mother or father, or knowing them before they died. Either way, Naruto knew that was why he had wanted to befriend Sasuke. Because they were the same. But Sasuke was gone now.

Minato… Kushina… The names rolled around in Naruto's mind. They had… someone had loved him. They had loved him so much—Naruto didn't need any more memories than the ones he had seen to know that his parents had truly loved him. But he couldn't seem to put into words why he felt so alone and empty at the moment, even though he now knew something about his parents.

He pulled away from Sakura, knowing that if he stayed there much longer, she was bound to hit him. He felt a wry smile cross his face, but the thought made him realize how much Sakura still loved Sasuke. There was no way that she would ever love him. He knew that she liked him like she did Sai, and that they were a good team when they worked together.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered. Naruto's eyes flashed up to her face, and he started with surprise. Tears were running down her cheeks as well. Why was she crying? It wasn't her memory, nor was it her family. But he knew that these kinds of things still made her cry.

Sakura glanced away from Naruto, quickly wiping the tears away from her face. She couldn't explain the strange feeling that had ached her heart when Naruto had pulled away from her. She wanted to stop his crying, to help him, to try to take some of the pain away. She set her eyes on the wall of memories so that she wouldn't have to look Naruto in the eyes.

They were more bad memories, different ones from different times all meshing together to form one huge hole of despair. Sakura gasped. "Naruto," she said urgently, turning back to him. He quickly wiped his face on his sleeve, waiting for her to continue. "Naruto, do you always remember the bad things?"

Naruto nodded.

Sakura bit her lip, but stood to her feet as an idea formed in her head. "Naruto, can you remember anything good? Anything at all?"

"I've tried, but it… it doesn't work."

"Try!" Sakura urged. Naruto hesitated, and Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Come on, Naruto! You still have a promise to keep to me! How are you going to keep it if you're locked up inside of your head?"

Naruto gasped, staring wide-eyed at Sakura for a moment. Then, he stood to his feet and faced the wall, his eyebrows furrowing as he concentrated on good memories. They fuzzed on the wall, but the right feelings didn't come. The despair lifted a little, but it definitely wasn't enough.

Sakura lowered her eyes to the floor, disgusted with herself. She knew he had promised to find Sasuke for her, but what had she ever done for him? He had protected her, was always nice to her. He had never tried to hurt her, no matter how many times she punched him. Naruto had always been there for her. Naruto had always been her teammate. Naruto had never left her. Naruto, Naruto, Naruto…

His name was everywhere she looked. He was in all of the good memories, or most of them at least. Sakura lifted her eyes, watching Naruto as he concentrated on remembering something good. She could tell that the atmosphere of the room, and all of the despair it caused had taken its toll on Naruto. But a new determination had come into Naruto's eyes, and Sakura knew that Naruto would die trying. He never gave up, and she knew that he wouldn't now, either.

_It's not the size of what you do that matters, Sakura. It's your feelings for Naruto that really matter._ Sakura gasped. Did… Did she really feel the way Captain Yamato had suggested? One of Naruto's memories popped up on the wall. Naruto asked her on a date, but he hadn't been able to pay, so she hadn't gone with him… Naruto collapsed from the Kyuubi's chakra, and Sakura lifted him from the ground, holding him and trying to protect him… Naruto was rushing after Sakura as she plummeted to the ground, but he couldn't catch her; Yamato had saved her… Naruto watched Sakura as she tried to heal herself… Yamato stepped close to Naruto, whispering something in ear. Naruto gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Sakura's mouth. That was probably when Yamato had told Naruto he had hurt her, but all the same, it seemed as if almost all of Naruto's good memories were about her. Sakura felt tears prick her eyes. Could feelings really change? Could she possibly want to find Sasuke just because he was her friend? No, Sasuke was a very good friend, one that needed help. But Naruto…

A memory caught Sakura's attention. Naruto was remembering the fight between him and Sasuke, the first fight before Sasuke had gone to Orochimaru. She saw Naruto lying on the rocks, his breathing alarmingly shallow. His eyes were closed, and he was dirty, cut, and bleeding slightly. Sakura felt her throat hitch. What if Naruto had died? What if he had died that day that Sasuke had left? Sakura shook her head. She couldn't imagine Naruto gone. She couldn't imagine what it _would_ be like without Naruto. He was always smiling, always encouraging, always helping people out… always protecting her. There would have been no one to train with, no one to make mistakes only to surprise everyone by defying the odds.

Suddenly, Sakura knew why Sasuke was just a friend. She still wanted him back in Konoha, but if Naruto had gone… He had never left her, had always tried to protect her. She knew now that what Yamato had about her was true. She did like Naruto. She didn't want to admit it, but she realized that she did want to be more than friends. She wanted… she wanted to tell him how she felt. It seemed as if she had been holding all of it in, and she would burst if she didn't let it out.

Naruto backed up against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He was breathing heavily. "Sakura-chan… I—I can't… I can't do it. I'm sorry. Sasuke was right. I _am_ weak. I can't… save him for you. I can't do anything."

"Naruto," Sakura whispered, bending down and sitting next to him. Her eyes stared at the wall, but the images went unseen. Naruto had definitely been inside of his head too long. The atmosphere was taking a hold of him, because this wasn't the Naruto that she knew. "Naruto, I don't want you go save Sasuke if you're going to do it alone." She looked into his confused blue eyes. "We have to do it together. Remember? We were going to get stronger _together_ so that we can save Sasuke _together_."

"S—Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered. His eyes wandered to the floor. "I'll get him back. I—I know how much Sasuke means to you."

"Things can change, Naruto," Sakura said quickly. He still wasn't getting it. "Naruto, you… you mean a lot to me, too," she whispered hesitantly. How could she say this? She had always denied Naruto's not-so-subtle attempts at a date, but… it was just so _hard_ to actually say that she liked Naruto. She had always told him that she was not interested and that she never would be. What could she do? She hated admitting that she was wrong, or that Yamato had been right. And what would Naruto think? He was still completely clueless when it came to women, and she knew that he would brag about it later. That was just Naruto.

However, no matter how Sakura hated to realize that she had been wrong, she felt like her emotions were suffocating her if she didn't get them out. She had to say something; Naruto was looking at her as if something was wrong with her. Sakura was about to speak when Naruto cast his eyes to the floor.

"It's all right, Sakura-chan. You don't have to try to make me feel better about my promise. I'm still—"

"No, no, no, Naruto! It's just that…" Sakura's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. That was it! Though Naruto hadn't been successful in remembering something happy, the mood of the room had definitely weakened. The feeling of despair was lessening the more they talked—Sakura knew it. That had to be the way to stop Mitani's jutsu. So all Naruto had to do was remember something good… Or to be overwhelmed by a new, powerful memory.

"Naruto, I wasn't just trying to make you feel better," Sakura said quietly, a small smile tugging at her mouth. It was slightly embarrassing—saying these kinds of things to Naruto. But the embarrassment soon faded. They were inside of Naruto's head. How more private could they be?

Sakura tilted her head towards Naruto. "I really meant what I said Naruto. I… I can't imagine Konoha without you!" She quickly looked at the floor, the sudden force of her emotions sending tears to her eyes. She felt frustration rise quickly in her throat. Why was she always crying? She cried at everything, but she couldn't shake this strange feeling welling inside of her chest. It was almost painful, but wonderful at the same time. No length of time around Sasuke had ever made her feel this way, and just one small sentence had caused her pulse to race and her heart to pound.

Two hands placed themselves on Sakura's shoulders, and she looked up with a gasp. Naruto was closer than she thought, his sparkling blue eyes wide and confused, yet earnest. She found it strange that his eyes were sparkling… Suddenly, she noticed that there were tears in his eyes. Why was he crying?

Naruto smiled slightly. "Do you really mean that, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's dignity stuck in her throat. She could only manage a nod, but that seemed to be enough for Naruto.

"You know," Naruto's smiled widened, "I always liked you because I thought you were pretty. But now I know why I like you so much." His eyes were slightly mystified, and for a moment, his eyes left hers. "That day on the bench… That was me, pretending to be Sasuke. I wanted to know what you thought of me."

"That—that was _you?_" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Hehe, yeah."

"Why—why you—" Sakura couldn't think of anything to say. Naruto had moved an inch closer to her, and her heart was thumping even louder. She hoped that Naruto couldn't hear, but she bet even the walls could hear it.

"It really means a lot to me, Sakura-chan. Thank you," Naruto said earnestly, no hint of a smile on his face now. He was completely serious. Sakura stared into his eyes. She felt her own produce more tears. Sometimes, Naruto truly could understand, and he was sometimes the only person that _could_ understand.

Sakura felt a smile part her lips. "Naruto, I know how to stop the genjutsu. I know how you can get out of this." Sakura saw Naruto's eyes light up. His eyes said it all; there was no need for him to ask a question. "Trying to conjure up happy memories seems to be working, but you've got to be overwhelmed with either a really good memory, or… I guess you have to create a good memory right now."

Naruto looked at his lap, his hand on his chin as he thought. He could think of a few good memories, but he had tried all those. They had worked the best, but they still hadn't worked. He needed something better, but all the good memories had just slipped into the bad ones. He didn't have a best memory. Some were better than others, but none were good enough to break the genjutsu.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered. Her skin felt hot, and her heart was pounding even more viciously. Her pulse was racing like fire. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but an ironic thought played in Sakura's head as she stared at Naruto's confused eyes. _Naruto, I was so mad at you because I was supposed to have Sasuke's first kiss, but… you beat all the girls to it. Funny, isn't it? How you will steal my first kiss, too?_ "Would this be a good memory?" Sakura placed her palm on Naruto's face. It felt cool underneath her skin, a relief. She leaned in slowly, her lips finally touching his.

"Nn!" Naruto gasped, his body going rigid as he felt Sakura's lips touch his. Her lips were soft and warm, and he could taste the salt of her previous tears. But he was too stunned to really think about any of that. _Sakura_ had kissed _him._ He had always liked Sakura, but something different, something strange was starting to burn in his chest. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he could feel his muscles relaxing. This was the strangest sensation he had ever felt, but he was too happy to put it into words, or to even speak at all.

Everything was blurring. Naruto closed his eyes, leaning hesitantly towards Sakura, his reflexes still apprehensive. He didn't know whether to think that this was a dream or reality, but he hoped that it was real. This had to be the happiest moment of his life, outshining every other memory. Naruto wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling, but he didn't want it to leave. He had never felt this happy before, and he wanted that happiness to last. He had been trapped inside of his own despair and loneliness long enough, and he wanted it to be gone forever.

But there was really no need anymore. Everything was brighter. The sounds were clearer; he could feel someone's touch as if they were right there; a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light. He could only register a large white room and the fact that he was lying on his back. But despite the fact that he had wanted to wake slowly, he was immediately distracted by something else.

Sakura was bent over him, one of her hands on the table and the other on his face. Her face was closer to him than it had ever been before, and he felt a strange warmth on his lips. All of things that had happened to him inside of his mind came rushing back in an onslaught of memories. Sakura's eyes suddenly snapped open, and the two stared at each other until Sakura stumbled back from the table, her cheeks flushing bright red. Naruto sat up, his eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Sakura-chan!" he said quietly, his voice thick with astonishment. Sakura glanced around herself for a moment, then jumped forward, throwing her arms around Naruto's shoulders. Tears poured from her eyes, but she didn't care. She had saved him. She had saved Naruto from the genjutsu. Some part of her mind knew that she had kissed Naruto to save him, but it had been… strangely pleasant. But right now, she was just glad he was safe, that she had him back again.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're better."

Naruto whipped his head around, and Sakura jerked away from Naruto, quickly wiping her eyes of all traces of tears. Kakashi, Sai, and Tsunade all stood in the doorway. Naruto and Sakura had no idea how long the three of them had been there, and both of their faces reddened.

Sai walked forward and looked at Naruto and Sakura. "I didn't know that mouth to mouth resuscitation was all he needed to get better. If that had been the case, then I could have done it for you, Naruto."

Sakura's eyebrows twitched. Naruto almost fell off of the table. Kakashi chuckled, then held up one of his hands. "Well, I'd better get to my next mission. Sakura. Naruto. Unless the Fifth needs you, you two rest for a little while. I might need you two for backup, so I need you to be well-rested."

The two nodded, and Naruto quickly excused himself, Sakura following after him. She sincerely hoped that Kakashi and Tsunade hadn't seen her kissing Naruto, but she knew that Sai had seen them. Thankfully, he was completely and utterly clueless when it came to things other than logic and a mission.

Naruto stopped once he was outside the hospital. He was still in his black shirt and orange pants, and he had forgotten his headband in the hospital room, causing his tousled hair to fall over his eyes. Sakura stopped next to him, looking at him curiously. He was staring up at a few of the hills that surrounded Konoha. The sun was glancing off the tops, casting a warm, golden light across the entire city.

"It's beautiful," Sakura whispered.

"It is," Naruto murmured. Sakura turned to look at him, only to find that he was looking right at her. His eyes looked amazed, but confused. "Sakura-chan, why did you… kiss me?" he asked slowly.

"You mean a lot to me, Naruto," Sakura whispered, then shrugged. "It just took me a while to realize it for myself."

A smile spread across Naruto's face. He turned away from the pole he had been leaning on, his hands hanging loosely by his side. He leaned in slowly, his eyes checking Sakura's, unconsciously looking at her fist. Sakura smiled, then tilted her head up, closing the last two inches between her and Naruto. The setting sun felt warm, but once her skin touched Naruto's, her whole body felt like it was on fire. Unconsciously, one hand wrapped itself in his hair while the other cradled his face.

Naruto let his arms reach around Sakura's waist, holding her closer to him. For once, Sakura felt as if she couldn't get close enough to Naruto. And for the first time, she didn't care if anybody saw them together like this. In fact, she was quite happy about it.

* * *

**Well, what'd you guys think? If you'd like to let me know what you thought, just go ahead and click that little button that says 'review!!!'. Again, thanks to all my readers and reviewers for doing just that and letting me know how I'm doing in portraying the Naruto world!!**

**- wolf's paradise**


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